Sadr vows not to participate in any future Iraqi elections with 'corrupted parties'

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Sadrist Movement leader Muqtada al-Sadr announced on Wednesday that his movement would not participate in any future elections in Iraq that include "corrupted political parties." 

"I decided to withdraw from the political process so as not to participate with the corrupt in any way," Sadr told his movement's resigned members of parliament during a meeting in the holy city of Najaf. "I will not participate in any future elections in Iraq as long as the corrupted political parties participate in them."

"Thanks for not participating in corruption by responding to my request to resign," he added.

Sadr also thanked his movement's resigned parliamentarians for their stances and unity. 

"Once the corrupted and those who looted Iraq's money and shed the blood of Iraqis are removed, we will participate in the elections," he said. "So don't go anywhere, and try to develop yourselves with all the political, legal, and religious skills that a member of parliament needs."

"Your people need you, so please stay connected with them and me," he added. 

Sadr ordered the closure of all aside from six of his movement's offices "at the current stage" on Sunday following the mass resignation of all 73 Sadrist members of parliament earlier that day.

Read More: Sadr's latest move shakes up Iraq's political landscape

Sadr previously said that submitting the resignations was "a sacrifice on my part for the country and the people to rid them of an unknown fate."

Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament Mohammed Al-Halbousi, "reluctantly" accepted the resignations of the 73 Sadrist members of the Iraqi Parliament on Sunday.

Read More: Iraqi parliament speaker 'reluctantly' accepts resignation of Sadrist MPs

In a tweet, Halbousi said that upon "the desire of His Eminence, Muqtada al-Sadr, we reluctantly accepted the requests of our brothers and sisters, the Sadrist bloc's representatives, to resign from the Iraqi parliament."